Copied from another List. Faith FIRST FULL MOON TO OCCUR ON WINTER SOLSTICE > > >This year will be the first full moon to occur on the winter solstice, > > >Dec.22, commonly called the first day of winter. Since a full moon on > > >the > > >winter solstice occurred in conjunction with a lunar perigee (point in > > >the > > >moon's orbit that is closest to Earth) > > >The moon will appear about 14% larger than it does at apogee (the point > > >in > > >it's elliptical orbit that is farthest from the Earth) since the Earth > > >is > > >also several million miles closer to the sun at this time of the year > > >than > > >in the summer, sunlight striking the moon is about 7% stronger making it > > >brighter. Also, this will be the closest perigee of the Moon of the > > >year > > >since the moon's orbit is constantly deforming. > > >If the weather is clear and there is a snow cover where you live, it is > > >believed that even car headlights will be superfluous. On December > > >21st. > > >1866 the Lakota Sioux took advantage of this combination of occurrences > > >and > > >staged a devastating retaliatory ambush on soldiers in the Wyoming > > >Territory. > > >In laymen's terms it will be a super bright full moon, much more than > > >the >> >usual AND it hasn't happened this way for 133 years! Our ancestors 133 > > >years ago saw this. Our descendants 100 or so years from now will see > > >this > > >again. > > >Remember this will happen December 22, 1999.